BATON ROUGE — LSU soccer players, Leigh McGovern and Mandy Heintz, were each named to the NSCAA/adidas Women’s Scholar Athlete South Region Second Team on Tuesday as the Tigers were recognized for both their hard work on the field as well as in the classroom.
“This is a huge honor for Leigh and Mandy,” said LSU head coach George Fotopoulos. “I know how much hard work they put into both their practice and their schoolwork, so it’s good for them to be recognized for all of their dedication. They were great members of our team for four years and we are going to definitely miss them next season.”
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America/addidas Women’s Scholar Athlete Awards were given to players that excelled on the field as well as in the classroom from a Division I, II, III program or an NAIA school. There were 33 athletes awarded with this honor from each region in the United States.
McGovern, who was a staple in the Tigers’ starting lineup since arriving on campus in 1999, received South Region Second-Team honors on Tuesday by finishing with an impressive 3.88 grade point average in kinesiology. LSU’s senior started in all 79 games of her collegiate career and accumulated five goals and an assist while playing as a defensive specialist.
Heintz, who recorded a breakout season in 2002 by scoring a team-leading 23 goals and adding four assists, earned South Region Second-Team honors by ending her collegiate career with a 3.42 grade point average in kinesiology.
The Tigers’ forward from San Antonio, Texas, led the Southeastern Conference in both goals and total points, and was ranked third in the nation in goals per game average.
The LSU soccer team will next be in action this fall as the Tigers kick off its 2003 schedule against Coastal Carolina at 7 p.m. on Aug. 29, at the LSU Soccer Complex.
2002 NSCAA/adidas Women’s Scholar Athletes
South Region Teams
First Team
G, Lisa Nowoslawski, UAB
D, Carolyn Cayard, Georgia
D, Jessica Mills, Elon
D, Jackie VanLooven, Central Florida
M, Erica Adelstein, Trinity (Texas)
M, Monica Carrasco, Eckerd
M, Katie Carson, Furman
M, Allison Mitchell, Clemson
F, Sara Davis, Campbell
F, Katie Roberts, Francis Marion
F, Annie Schenck, Emory
Second Team
G, Katherine Doud, Oklahoma State
D, Jessica Skarzinski, Francis Marion
D, Becky Leeper, South Carolina
D, Nancy Mather, Furman
D, Leigh McGovern, LSU
M, Kristin Hoyle, East Carolina
M, Andrea Starns, Texas A&M
M, Jamie Stewart, College of Charleston
M, Genevieve Ward, Georgia Southern
F, Beth Culver, Georgia
F, Mandy Heintz, LSU